Angry crowds clashed outside a Texas courthouse on Tuesday as racial tensions boiled over in the immediate aftermath of Karmelo Anthony’s murder conviction and 35-year sentence, with pro-Anthony protesters screaming abuse, a Metcalf supporter arrested after an alleged shove, and members of the Black Panthers present among the demonstrators, the New York Post reported.
Chants of “Free Karmelo!” rang out as supporters of the 19-year-old gathered in McKinney after the jury’s verdict, with demonstrators accusing the trial of racial injustice from the moment the guilty finding was announced. “This whole thing’s been racist!” one person shouted. Another screamed: “Y’all used to locking up n—as any goddamn way!”
When the 35-year sentence was delivered inside the courthouse, a woman ran outside to relay the news to the waiting crowd. “Thirty-five years for self-defense! If Metcalf was white, we wouldn’t even be here today, it never would’ve had a court, there never would’ve been no handcuffs, we wouldn’t be here today!” she shouted. She also directed remarks at Metcalf’s mother, suggesting the victim was responsible for his own death for not knowing “how to go get an adult.”
The jury’s racial composition — which included no Black members, with the panel made up of white, Asian and Hispanic jurors — was a flashpoint throughout the trial and became a focal point of protest outside. “Tell those white folks, why is a black boy in front of an all-white jury?” one demonstrator demanded. “When has a white boy been in front of an all-black jury? Never!”
A supporter of the Metcalf family wearing a suit and tie was arrested and led away in handcuffs after allegedly shoving an Anthony sympathiser. Police physically blocked the crowd from reaching the detained man as he was escorted away. The man repeated “Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!” to a camera in his face as he was led off. “Bye b—ch!” members of the crowd taunted after him.
A white protester carrying a baby approached the crowd at one point and began jeering, prompting five or six individuals who identified themselves as members of the Black Panthers to confront and drive him away. Authorities appeared on the verge of making further arrests at several points during the confrontations, according to the Post.
Anthony was convicted of first-degree murder for the stabbing death of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas on 2 April 2025. The case divided America almost from the moment of the killing, with Anthony — who is Black — claiming self-defence after stabbing Metcalf — who was white — once in the chest with a folding knife following a confrontation under a rival school’s tent. Prosecutors successfully argued Anthony had provoked the encounter and could not rely on self-defence to justify a fatal stabbing in response to being pushed.
